Hello, I am Paul, a UKCP-accredited psychotherapist offering face-to-face sessions in
central and south east London, as well as online. I provide a safe, supportive space
where you can feel heard and understood.
In our work together, I aim to support you in building self-awareness and personal growth.
Therapy offers a space to reflect on your patterns, understand what might be keeping you
stuck, and gently explore new ways of moving forward.
I work with people facing a wide range of challenges, including trauma, anxiety,
grief, PTSD, OCD, stress, shame, and many other emotional or relational difficulties.
Paul Gomes (MBPsS)
Professional Membership
British Psychological Society: Graduate Chartership (MBPsS)
Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association - Accredited Member
United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapists (UKCP) - Accredited Member
I work integratively, drawing on a range of therapeutic approaches and adapting
them to suit your individual needs. I am also an adoption-informed therapist, with
a particular focus on supporting adoptees and those navigating the complexities of reunion.
Before becoming a therapist, I worked in change management within global organisations
across the finance, automotive, and consumer goods industries. This experience has
given me an appreciation of the pressures and demands of corporate life, and how
challenging it can be to maintain a sense of balance and wellbeing.
GETTING STARTED
Starting the journey
When deciding to begin counselling, a common question is,
“How many sessions will I need?” There isn't a one-size-fits-all
answer, which is why I offer both time-limited and open-ended approaches,
depending on your goals and needs.
Short-Term Therapy
Open Ended Therapy
In short-term counselling, we'll agree on a set number of sessions (usually 10 – 12)
and review progress along the way. Our work will focus on the challenges that brought you to
therapy, with an emphasis on what's happening in the 'here and now'. In the final session,
we'll reflect on your experience and explore possible next steps. Some clients choose
to return for further short-term work when it feels right for them.
In long-term counselling, some clients know from the start that they'd like more time to
explore their way of being in greater depth. Others may begin with short-term work and decide
to continue as new insights emerge. In our first session, we'll discuss your goals and what
you hope to gain from therapy, agreeing on an approach that feels right for you. Ongoing sessions
then continue for as long as you find them helpful and meaningful.
SERVICES
How I can support you
I support clients with a wide range of challenges, including low self-esteem,
bereavement, phobias, depression, anger, anxiety, work-related stress, trauma,
obsessive-compulsive patterns, and relationship difficulties.
Often, people come to counselling with a sense that something is not quite right
but find it hard to put into words. In our work together, I offer a safe, compassionate,
and non-judgemental space to explore these feelings, make sense of what is happening,
and begin to find a clearer way forward.
In-person and Online sessions are £75 for a 50 minute session.
Experiential sessions are priced by activity.
I am a registered practitioner with BUPA, AXA, Signa, Vitality, and other medical insurance companies.
Book an initial short call for us to meet and see if
working together feels like a good fit. You can ask me
any questions about my approach, and I'll invite you to
share what brings you to therapy. There's no obligation
to book further sessions - it's simply an opportunity
to connect and explore whether my style of therapy feels right
for you.
EXPERIENTIAL THERAPY
What is experiential therapy?
Experiential therapy offers a supportive complement or alternative to talking therapy
by working through direct experience in the natural environment. Using movement, balance, and
time on the water, sessions can help increase emotional regulation, self-awareness,
and confidence.
Experiential therapy offers a practical, embodied complement or alternative to traditional talking therapy.
Rather than focusing solely on conversation, it creates opportunities to explore thoughts,
emotions, and patterns through direct experience in the natural environment.
Working on the water can help clients access insight in a different way - engaging the body
as well as the mind. For many people, movement, balance, and immersion in nature support emotional
regulation, presence, and self-awareness, often making it easier to notice habitual responses and
experiment with new ones.
What I Offer
I offer experiential sessions alongside ongoing therapy or as an alternative to talking therapy,
including individual paddleboard sessions, group paddleboard sessions, and hydrofoil sessions.
These are carefully paced, non-performance-based experiences that integrate reflection and therapeutic
processing.
Experiential therapy may be helpful if talking alone sometimes isn't enough, or if you're
looking for a more embodied way to explore change.
I offer experiential sessions tailored to individual needs and therapeutic goals. These sessions
can support work around post traumatic stress, anxiety, stress, confidence, emotional regulation,
identity, and connection.
Individual paddleboard sessions: one-to-one therapeutic work in a calm, supportive outdoor setting.
Group paddleboard sessions: shared experiences that encourage reflection, connection, and interpersonal awareness.
Hydrofoil sessions: for clients seeking a more dynamic, challenge-based experience that supports focus, resilience, and embodied confidence.
Experiential therapy is not about performance or skill level. Sessions are paced carefully, with
safety, consent, and reflection at the centre. Time on the water is integrated with therapeutic
processing, helping insights gained through experience translate into everyday life.
If you are curious about working differently, or feel that talking alone sometimes isn't enough,
experiential therapy may offer a valuable additional pathway.
